1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of luggage, and more particularly, to the field of wheeled suitcases having handles adapted for towing of the suitcase.
2. Prior Art
Wheeled suitcases have increasingly become the luggage of choice for those jet-setting businessmen and travelers who prefer to tow their luggage from place to place instead of straining their muscles to lift and carry their luggage about. Prior the introduction of wheeled suitcases, the suitcases themselves were commonly transported by means of securing them on a separate cart or rack having wheels so that the assembly could be wheeled around as a unit. However, with the advent of wheeled suitcases, many of the disadvantages inherent in the use of wheeled carts were overcome, namely that the carts are prone towards bending due to their lightweight and often flimsy structure, that they require a means for attaching the suitcase thereto in a secure manner to prevent the suitcase from falling off and that more storage space is required to store the separable structure of the cart.
Nonetheless, the utility of wheeled suitcases is limited by the particular type and arrangement of the handle(s) used to pull the suitcase along. Specifically, most handles which are commonly used in conjunction with wheeled suitcases are constructed in the form of a rigid extension arm or "tow-bar" made out of hard plastic or metal projecting from one end of the suitcase. The tow-bar is normally affixed to the lower surface of the suitcase such that the suitcase firmly rests on top of the tow-bar when in transport, although several wheeled suitcases have tow-bars placed on the opposite, upper surface of the suitcase where the suitcase must be secured to the cart by an elastic strap or the like. The tow-bars may also be retractable through the use of telescoping tubular elements or the like for adjustment of their length and for retracting the tow-bars into a storage space within the suitcase when it is not being used.
During use, however, the tow-bar is protracted or pulled out of its storage space within the suitcase and locked into position at a desired length to accommodate the height of a particular user. With respect to those tow-bars that are horizontal when the suitcase is resting on the floor, the user raises the handle of the protracted tow-bar so as to lift the front edge of the suitcase off the floor and leave only the wheels adjacent to the rear edge of the suitcase in contact with the floor where the suitcase can be easily transported by pulling on the tow-bar. For those tow-bars that are vertical when the suitcase is at rest, the tow-bar is lowered to pivot the suitcase about the wheels mounted at its front edge.
Yet, because of the rigid mount between the tow-bar and the suitcase at the connection point and the angle at which the suitcase is placed during transport, the torque acting upon the tow-bar due to the weight of the suitcase tends to causes breakage or bending of the tow-bar especially at the connection point. Additionally, the placement of the tow-bar in the plane of either the upper surface or bottom surface of the suitcase presents an awkward configuration for towing of the suitcase due to the lack of stability caused by the connection point being placed far from the suitcase's center of mass and the substantially large angle between the extended tow-bar and the floor. Due to the fact that the tow-bar is coupled to the suitcase at only one point and its handle is quite distant from that point, it is difficult to exercise proper control over the movement of the suitcase simply by pulling on the tow-bar. The tow-bar also adds a significant amount of weight to the over-all structure and furthermore increases the cost of the suitcase due to the number of machined pieces required to implement the tow-bar and the need to provide a means for retraction or storage of the tow-bar within itself or within the suitcase.
Another type of handle which is also used in conjunction with wheeled suitcases is a single strap that is detachably connected at one end to an upper corner of the suitcase by means of a fastener. With this configuration, the strap acts much like a leash in that it can only "guides" the suitcase as it is towed since this type of handle requires all four wheels of the suitcase to remain in contact with the ground. Because these single-strap handles provide no rigid support and have no special mounting arrangement for angling the suitcase vertically or laterally, the wheeled suitcase tends to move all about as it is towed in a specific direction since no control can be exercised over the movement of the wheels.
A variation on the single-strap type handle is where the strap is of a short length and has both of its ends coupled to the top of the suitcase in much the same way as a normal suitcase handle. Although commonly used with smaller, more portable luggage, this variation has lately been used with the larger, wheeled suitcases where the user must practically lift the suitcase off the floor in order to move it forward in a controlled manner. This latter type of handle also provides no real benefit except that it can be used for both carrying and towing of the suitcase in addition to the fact that it is simple and cost effective.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide better stability of a wheeled suitcase during its transport.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and lightweight handle to assist in the transport of the suitcase.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a handle which allows its user to angle the suitcase vertically or laterally for better control over the movement of the wheels of the suitcase.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a handle with multiple connection points so as to reduce stress placed directly on such points when the handle is utilized.
Many other advantages, factors and additional objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which certain embodiments incorporating the present invention are shown by way of illustration.